On April 29, 2014, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) affiliate Kingwood Medical Center celebrated the grand opening of the South Tower and the three-story Women and Children’s Center.
This $80 million, 155,400 square-foot expansion, included 4 custom 18-foot Luminous SkyCeiling circles on the first floor. These biophilic illusions of nature were incorporated into the architectural design to create a palpable feeling of openness in the enclosed hallways that connect 8 high-risk antepartum suites, 12 spacious labor and delivery suites, and a 24-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, among other specialty rooms.
The color temperature of the daylight-quality artificial light uses to illuminate the high-resolution digital photography (high CRI 6500K) and the patented elevators that recess the SkyTiles away from the rest of the ceiling create a palpable illusion of overhead skies while altering our perception of depth in enclosed interiors.
Another great example of how this type of healthcare lighting can be applied in innovative ways to deliver positive clinical and therapeutic outcomes.